LEWISTON — State traffic models show that Auburn’s plan to re-stripe Court Street and convert it from four travel lanes to two would snarl rush-hour traffic in Lewiston.
Representatives from the Maine Department of Transportation and the Androscoggin Transportation Resource Center showed the model to Lewiston city councilors Tuesday during a workshop meeting.
City Administrator Ed Barrett said he knows Auburn is working on an alternative plan that won’t affect Lewiston as much, and he told councilors he would keep them updated.
“I think what we are concerned about is impacts on our side of the river as people are trying to commute to and from work between Lewiston and Auburn,” Barrett said.
Ed Hanscom, a transportation analyst for the Maine DOT, said rush-hour traffic usually travels at between 13 and 17 mph.
Auburn officials are awaiting clearance from MDOT for their plan to narrow Court Street between Turner Street and Spring Street by painting new lines. The newly painted lanes would take the street from two travel lanes in each direction to one travel lane each, with a turning lane down the middle.
New space on either side would be used to put on-street parking on the north side of Court Street, adding about 35 spaces.
Auburn officials are hoping fewer travel lanes will force traffic to slow down and persuade people who have no interest in being downtown to find alternative routes.
Hanscom’s computer model shows afternoon rush-hour traffic from Lewiston to Auburn dropping from 17 mph to 7 mph after the new lanes are painted. He also showed traffic backed up from Auburn across Longley Bridge up Main Street and just past Sabattus Street.
Auburn Mayor Jonathan LaBonte said the models Lewiston was looking at made incorrect assumptions about Auburn’s streets.
“I think it is unfortunate that, despite requests from Auburn, that Lewiston went forward with a meeting on Court Street in Auburn without all of the facts,” he said in an email. “Auburn and Lewiston efforts would be more productive if staff communicated and had all of the facts.”
Maine State Traffic Engineer Steve Landry said Auburn is working on an alternative model with a different lane configuration. Any state decisions will wait until Auburn’s new model can be reviewed, he said.
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